Laptop Reviews

The Ultrabook world is continuing its rise to glory as the Acer Aspire S3 (here with the Core i7 processer inside) runs the thin show at .68 inches at its thickest point. This is by no means the thinnest notebook on earth, nor is it the Ultrabook with the most impressive set of specifications, but this relatively basic (if any Ultrabook is basic) model has a stack of features and a full package that will satisfy any general use owner. This notebook has a 13.3-inch Active Matrix TFT display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, CineCrystal (glossy) and clear as day coupled with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancement on built-in stereo speakers - that means good entertainment.

Everyone has an laptop based on Intel's Ultrabook spec these days, and if they don't already, they showed it off at CES last week. Just being thin and light isn't enough to stand out in the crowd now, and HP knows that. To that end, they've produced the Folio 13, an Ultrabook that they're aiming at the business market. The 13-inch laptop still manages to come in at under a grand, so it's worth considering even if you don't spend most of your working hours between one terminal and another. How does the Folio 13 stack up to the rest of the Ultrabook competition? I spent the last week finding out.

All the headlines these days seem to be grabbed by those svelte little Ultrabooks, but there's still a considerable market for big-screen, high-power laptops out there. HP is more than happy to serve, and their latest offerings in the top of the line ENVY family makes a compelling showing, combining media features and a premium fit and finish at a lower price than its competitors. Unlike the only technically portable ENVY 17 3D, the 15-inch size is ideal for a desktop replacement that's still decent on portability. How does the ENVY 15 stack up? Let's find out.

This week we've got the newest offering in the ultraportable PC space with the Lenovo IdeaPad U400 sitting on the review block, and with its simplistic appearance, Core i5 processor inside, and classic "breathable" Lenovo keyboard, we've got what would appear at first to be an all-round lovely little number. This laptop has a 14-inch HD display, up to 4 hours of battery life off the cord, and it runs Windows 7 Home Premium out of the box. Is this the relatively tiny yet super powerful Windows machine you've been looking for all your life?

Motorola has since the first ATRIX device been pushing a mobile environment it calls Webtop, and here in one of two of its newest Webtop-based devices, the Lapdock 100, working in this world is a strangely enticing option. One of the set of tests I'm putting this Lapdock through is actually creating this post using the Lapdock itself NEARLY exclusively. I've not quite been able to bring myself to use it for any sort of image processing yet, but everything inside typing, highlighting, right-clicking, and the basics of blogging seem to be working just fine thus far. How's this device hooked up with a Motorola smartphone work out for the rest of an everyday set of activities? We shall see!

You run your social life in the cloud. You handle your email in the cloud. You might even write your documents, store your music and keep your backups in the cloud. Why not do away with local computing altogether? That's the premise of Google's Chrome OS, relying on just a browser to be your window to the all-purpose web. The Samsung Chromebook Series 5 is one of the first notebooks to give Chrome OS a go, in the case of our Three powered machines offering 3G to release you from the WiFi teat, too. Can we really live in the cloud, or are we destined to tumble back to earth with a bump? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

The Acer Aspire Ethos 5951G is the 15.6-inch little brother in this top of the line entertainment and multimedia laptop series that also includes a super-sized 18.4-inch Aspire Ethos 8951G, which we reviewed previously. If you liked the performance along with the sleek and sophisticated styling of that one but need a more portable size, then this is it. Continue after the cut for our full review.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 is an all-purpose 13.3-inch budget-friendly laptop that’s intriguing on the eyes and easy on the wallet. It comes in either a muted dark brown or a flashy aqua blue, both with a holographic matrix design on the lid and a stylish brushed metallic interior. The Z370 configuration we got to test packs an Intel Core i5 processor at a price of $622. Continue after the cut for our full review.

The Toshiba Satellite L750 Series offers affordably priced all-purpose laptops that target everyday use for students, families, or home businesses. They boast large 15.6-inch widescreen displays that come in either HD or 3D that are great for watching movies and multitasking along with strong all-around performance. And with a price tag starting at $474.99, the series is definitely worth consideration for the budget-conscious. We got to spend some time with the L755D-S5204 model from the series that’s configured with an AMD Fusion accelerated processor, so continue after the cut for our full review.

The Toshiba Satellite P740 Series is focused on delivering excellent on-the-go multimedia and entertainment performance. Laptops in this series are 14-inches for easy portability while still providing ample space for movie viewing on its HD widescreen display. Add to that great audio quality with Harmon/Kardon stereo speakers as well as Dolby and Waves audio enhancement technologies. The model we had the opportunity to test out is the P745-S4250, which sports the latest Intel Sandy Bridge chip and retails for $779.99. Continue after the cut for our full review.